The Port of Milford Haven, which is a founding member of the Wales Clean Seas Partnership, has been engaging with local schools to spread the message on plastic pollution, using Bertie the Sea Bass as a teaching tool.

Bertie the Sea Bass is a fourteen by seven foot sculpture that was built by local sculptor Gideon Petersen to help ‘Turn the Tide on Plastic’. The project led by Amroth and Saundersfoot Community Councils with support from Arwain Sir Benfro, PLANED and Valero. Bertie has been part of the teaching initiative undertaken by the Port to help inspire schoolchildren to reduce, re-use and recycle.

The installation of Bertie the Sea Bass in Milford Waterfront has offered the perfect opportunity to help spread this message to local schoolchildren. Multiple classes from local schools have been encouraged to visit Bertie the Sea Bass at Milford Waterfront, and the Port is providing schools with educational resources created in collaboration with the Pembrokeshire Marine SAC Officer, Sue Burton.

Sue Burton is keen to encourage more schools to engage with Bertie the Sea Bass. “Bertie is a brilliant way of combatting plastic pollution, and it is really great to have a project like this taking place here in Milford” said Sue. “The Port has been working hard alongside ourselves to help mitigate plastic pollution in the waterway, and I am really pleased to see them engaging with the local school community to help spread this important message. Reducing plastic pollution is crucial to maintaining a healthy marine eco-system, and this is a project that is certainly close to all of our hearts.”

Anna Malloy, Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Officer at the Port of Milford Haven added: “Safeguarding the Milford Haven Waterway is one of the Port’s most important duties. We all have a role to play in reducing plastic pollution and Bertie provided a great focal point for us to get this important message across. We are really grateful to the schools and their pupils for being so receptive.”

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Photo 1: St Francis Catholic School students on their visit to Bertie the Sea Bass

Photo 2: Johnston CP School students on their visit to Bertie the Sea Bass with Karen Lewis, Tourism Manager for Milford Waterfront


Notes to Editors

Bertie the Sea Bass

Bertie the Sea Bass is a fourteen foot by seven-foot sculpture that is constructed from stainless steel and is filled with ‘beach clean’ plastic. It is also solar powered, and glows at night. The project to ‘Turn the Tide on Plastic’ is led by both Amroth and Saundersfoot Community Councils, with support from Arwain Sir Benfro, PLANED, and Valero.

Port of Milford Haven

The Port of Milford Haven is the UK’s top energy port and Wales’ busiest port handling around 20% of Britain’s seaborne trade in oil and gas. It is widely recognised in the industry as the energy capital of the UK.

The Port, along with the cluster of energy-related businesses along the Waterway, is a key driver of economic activity in Pembrokeshire, attracting inward investment and supporting over 4,000 jobs.

The Port of Milford Haven also owns and operates Pembroke Port and Milford Dock. Activities such as cargo handling, ferry operations, fish landing and cruise calls as well as a first class marina are spread across these two sites.
One of the most prominent on the West Coast, the Port is in the heart of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the only Coastal National Park in Great Britain. It is marked as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and has many areas designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

The Port of Milford Haven is a trust port – an independent, commercially run organisation that has statutory responsibilities governed by its Acts, to maintain and improve navigation and the provision of Port and Harbour services and facilities. Additionally, the Port provides significant financial and in-kind support to a wide variety of local causes. All profits are retained within the business to fund these objectives.


For further information, visit www.mhpa.co.uk or contact:
Anna Malloy
Port of Milford Haven
01646 696100
anna.malloy@mhpa.co.uk